In The Middle
by Harvest Angel
Summary: Claire and Mary both love Gray, but the love each other too. Mary/Claire/Gray oneshot...not for those not liking the femm slash.


**A/N- this story contains elements of polygamy, femmslash, and other things that prejudice people might not like. Content is rated k, and this story is mostly angst. I welcome constructive criticism, and suggestions. No flames please. This is a request…kind of, in which Claire and Mary like Gray and are friends.**

**I don't own Harvest Moon, **

Is it possible, that every once in awhile the gods above make a mistake, and offer rare individuals the chance at not one soul mate, but two? Curse or Blessing? Why would the fates be so cruel as to offer a man or a woman the chance to be completed by two individuals.

The first time I met her, she had struck me as so beautiful. Not in a generic way, with make-up and clothes, or a physical display of herself. A reserved beauty, an intelligence so impassible that I would ever look like the token dumb blonde in her presence. Her vocabulary far out did my own, and the raven haired goddess was capable of so much more thought than I could ever hope to be. But she lacked emotion. That was something I had plenty of.

It wasn't necessarily that Mary didn't have emotions, but she bottled them up and never expressed them unless she had no choice. Embarrassment and shyness were the most easy things to get out of her. I didn't find myself pretty, though several other people had told me I was. I was generic, blond haired and blue eyed, not the shinning beauty of Mary…but I did feel without question. Anger, contempt, sympathy, love…I did them all to the full extent, crying at sad things, laughing at the mundanely funny.

Maybe that's what attracted us to each other. The dark always calls upon the light, and wherever the light goes, the darkness would follow, and vice versa. We were like…two halves to one piece. We both stood the same height, had the same dimples in our smile, the same shy giggle. Her hair, when let down was the same length as mine, and just as straight. She was the darker me, and I was the lighter her. Serious and quiet, myself loud and playful.

We liked everything, loved everything the same. Even him. We both affected him in ways that he had never become accustomed to. Gray…never could choose between us.

When he was with Mary, he seemed to develop this sense of intelligent pride, his temper always controlled, his voice soft when he spoke to her. He became bashful like her, and they had intelligent conversations, meaningful conversations. They grew close, and it hurt me, the fact that I knew he loved her.

When he was with me, he was more aloof, he smiled more. He blushed more. His eyes became softer, and shinned with amusement and adoration. He became more playful with me, and we shared emotional bonds. We grew closer, and it hurt her, the fact that she knew he loved me.

Neither of us would accept him fully, or fear of hurting the other one to strong. We were each others best friends, yet we were rivals for his affection. But neither of us could choose him over the other.

It must have went on like that for years, both if us still hoping that he could make a decision between us, and he could be blamed for the heartbreak of the other. But his decision never came. So we started going to festivals together, having dinner together, going out outings together. The three of us. He sat between us, and we both held one of his large warm hands.

I believe it was Mary's idea first. I had toyed with it myself, but had thought it impractical and never voiced it.

Polygamy…such a vile and spat upon word in this town. But it was…the only solution for us. So Mary had said. She had smiled as she pointed out that…we needed to make ourselves happy, not the village. She didn't care, as long as she had me, and we had Gray.

Gray had been shocked at our suggestion. He had then become furious that we would suggest something like that. Mary and I had stood there in utter shock as he ranted, and without a word, we intertwined our fingers and left the library together, and walked straight to my farm.

We lay in bed that night together, limbs intertwined as we cried into each other. Together we were one, but without him we were broken. It wasn't our fault, that the gods above had given him two woman to make him a wife. Not our fault at all.

"He just needs time to think about it Claire…" she had whispered softly, stroking my hair as I rested my head against her chest. I was doubtful the stubborn red head would ever come around. Mary comforted me that night, and when the sun rose the next morning we had been woken by a frantic pounding on the door.

We got up together, and walked to the door, together, our hands still intertwined. When we opened the door he barged in, hat in his hands as he fumbled with his words, his apology about his reaction to our suggestion. We had listened, and walked up to him, our matching blue eyes shimmering with tears. Our fingers released each others, all except for our pinkies that stayed intertwined.

Our connected hands rested on his chest, over his heart as we walked around him, her on the left, and myself on the right. We both leaned in and kissed his cheeks, and our free hands ran behind his back and intertwined. This is how we were meant to be. Together just like this.

I let Gray and Mary have the ceremony at the church, before the town found out what our plans were. I thought it only proper that they be the ones legally married. After all, the solution had been Mary's suggestion. They both had been skeptical when I had insisted on the formal ceremony for the two.

I was the maid of honor and the ceremony went over splendidly. I didn't even care that I didn't get to be up there, with the rings, on the right side of him. When the priest told them they could kiss, I had watched with happy tears as they embraced, my heart aching at the pure joy, knowing that…we would all be together. I had been surprised when Mary had grabbed me and kissed me soundly on my own lips, and then Gray had done the same.

We were shunned, but we went out with style, they had both said in my house…our house later on. And we lived happily for several years. Things were somewhat…awkward at first. Mary and I were comfortable with each other in every way. But with Gray…we were both shy and embarrassed at simple things.

We watched television, Gray in the middle. We ate with Gray in the middle. Gray was always in between us, Mary always on the left, and myself always on the right. Gray slept in the middle. Mary and I always faced him, but after a few seasons it became clear…that at times he favored one of more than the other. Sometimes I would wake up cold, alone on my side of the bed why those two were curled up snuggly together. Sometimes it would be the opposite and it would be Mary that was alone.

The talk came of a family, and Mary was ecstatic with the opportunity to become a mother. But the fates had been cruel to her. Mary was unable to have children. The night we found out, it was the first time I slept in the middle. Mary and I facing each other, Gray on the outside, rubbing her back just as I was. They both clung to me that night, and I understood then, what must be the problem, why it was we loved each other in such a way. We needed each other to be a family.

I waited a whole year for Mary to heal from this tragedy before I got pregnant.

I was swollen with child, and both of them worried so much over me, not wanting me to over exert myself. It was frustrating, but it helped me to see how much they loved me. And I still slept in the middle, it had never changed since that one night.

I had been in labor for hours, the pain excruciating. The doctor was becoming edgy, and I just knew…there were complications.

I bore fraternal twins. A boy and a girl.

I was fading…but everything seemed so clear to me. The reason I was always on the right. Mary had his heart. So did I….that's the reason I moved to the middle. I gave them both…what they needed to be a family. I tied them to each other now. Mary couldn't have children, but I couldn't be a mother. That's…what the plan must have always been.

"When they burry me…keep me in the middle…so I can be next to the two I care about eternally…."


End file.
